A Man for All Seasons

Guide Note

Based on the Robert Bolt play of the same name, A Man for All Seasons is the story of Sir Thomas More's years as Chancellor of England during the time of Henry VIII. Following its 1966 release, the film went on to win lead actor Paul Scofield the Oscar for Best Actor, as well as Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography and Best Costume Design.

Scofield was reprising his role as More from the stage version and was joined in the film by such screen luminaries as Orson Welles as Cardinal Wolsey, John Hurt as Richard Rich and Robert Shaw as Henry VIII.

Bolt adapted the play for the screen himself and, in doing so, dropped many of the play's less realistic, theatrical conventions including a "Common Man" narrator and a Brechtian final courtroom scene in which the Jury at More's trail consists only of the "Common Man" and sticks wearing hats.

The film is ranked number 43 on the British Film Institute's list of Top 100 British films and was remade for television in 1988.

Fast Facts

1. Director: Fred Zinnemann
2. Distributor: Columbia Pictures
3. Starring: Paul Scofield, Wendy Hiller, Leo McKern, Orson Welles, Robert Shaw, John Hurt, Nigel Davenport
4. Release Date: December 12, 1966
5. Running Time: 120 min
6. Budget: $3,900,000